I have a somewhat odd question. My wife and I are currently traveling around Europe by bike with our 5 kids for a year. It's going to get too cold for us to bike and camp sometime in Nov / Dec, and so we've decided that we'd like to store our bikes for 2-3 months, find a seasonal rental, and ski for the winter.
Seems like a smashing idea, but it's really open-ended, and we're having a hard time getting started with the planning.
Our kids will be 8, 9, 12, 12 and 14 this winter, and they're all pretty good skiers. (They ski intermediate and advanced trails in the US, and skied about 35 days last winter.) That said, we're used to groomed, well-marked trails, and as I'm fond of them, I'd prefer that they not fall into any crevasses.
Can anyone help us narrow down our options a bit? Can you recommend a good resort that has an affordable season pass, and where you don't have to have a car to get to the ski lifts?
Any suggestions for how to find a seasonal rental? (The prices are sky-high if you book by the week.)
Thank you for any help!
-Chris
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hi Chris,
The Jungfrau area is one of the cheaper areas to ski for a largeish area within Switzerland and you don't need a car, in fact not having one is an advantage as you won't have to pay for parking Because your kids are all under 16 and over 6 they pay I think 250CHF for each for a season pass (whole area includes Murren, Wengen, Grindelwald plus train down to Interlaken Ost) Adults under 62 was 895 CHF per person (yes kids get a massive discount) Mainly intermendiate runs with a few more advanced ones, and a few easy, many of the runs are long though, 6-8km not unusual, 13km run from Piz Gloria down to Lauterbrunnen is possible.
As for the long rental maybe contact the tourist office in the resorts, I'd suggest Wengen to start with or possibly Lauterbrunnen which will probably be cheaper
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Laax is a great resort and reasonably priced, by Swiss standards anyway.
Mürren
Mürren offers a pretty cluster of traditional chalets, car-free with views dominated by the impressive Schilthorn, almost 10,000ft of towering mountain. A perfect retreat from the busier resorts, Mürren offers great skiing on its own 'Mürren-Schilthorn' ski area, with convenient beginners' slopes and some of the most challenging runs in the whole region including the world famous Kandahar run. Exhilarating stuff! An excellent family all-rounder.
Ski Mürren and you also have the opportunity to visit Wengen and Grindelwald, recommended for both skiers and non-skiers alike. In the evenings the mood is relaxed in the resort's rustic bars. Non-skiers love the wide variety of winter walking trails, and why not try curling or ice-skating at the ice-rink? Skiing in Mürren is a wonderful experience, in an unforgettable setting.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
madbury@gmail.com, wow, what a fantastic adventure! Do you have a blog? If the budget isn't unlimited how about next door - either Austria or Italy. Considerably cheaper.
Welcome to Snowheads.
After all it is free
After all it is free
You could try an outlying part of Verbier. The main town itself is ludicrous expensive of course, but places like La Tzoumaz or Siviez really aren't.
The currency's still against you though. Not as strong as it was, but still adds an overhead onto everything if you're thinking in GBP or EUR.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
I would agree that Jungfrau is a good option lots of variety across the 3 areas and good train links - I would stay in Interlaken if you are looking for the cheapest - option both accomodation and food - if you are staying for 2 months plus you probably dont need to be first up th emountain!
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Colin B wrote:
Laax is a great resort and reasonably priced, by Swiss standards anyway.
Another vote for Laxx but I maybe a little prejudice as that's my base for the next season.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
For cheaper accommodation near Verbier you should try Le Chable which is in the valley below Verbier and take the lift in the morining to ski. Staying in Le Chable you will also be in better place to ski in Bruson which is awesome on powder days. Lift passes are quite expensive though, but give you access to a big area. Also you will get a discount if you buy before end of October.
You should choose the resort first, good source of info is www.snow-forecast.com. They also provide links to resort websites which will have lists of real estate agents managing the property for owners. For season long rent you may need to fill in the form and they will contact you with offers. Resort websites also may have classified sections, where owners advertise their property directly. If other currencies are improving against CHF you should start looking very soon as time will be against you. For people who can take 3 weeks or more to go skiing and going in groups of 4-6 people takig a season rent is a cheaper option. But weak pound means less competition from Brits and you can get your apartment as late as December plus might be able to negotiate the price down a bit - last year we got ours last week of November and paid 2500 less than it was advertised. Weak euro and pound also means that rent doesn't go up every season as it used to, so it's not a bad thing at all. A few seasons ago if you didn't have a place sorted by October you were risking having no place at all. Basically, decide on your budget first and go from there. For 7 people you are looking at anything between 16 (less if you are staying in Le Chable or any othe places not in resorts themselves) and 25 thousands per season depending on resort and property rating. Plus ski passes.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
They do more than just camping - chelts and hostel as well.
Lauterbrunnen is in the valley between Wengen and Murren - 20 minutes to get to either by skibus and train/cable car. Lauterbrunnen has a decent sized co-op for food/drink purchases and a few specialist shops (butcher, baker but no candlestick maker I am aware of and Interlaken is only half hour by train included within ski pass to Interlaken Ost where there is a huge co-op opposite the train station.
Never met people staying in chalets there but did meet a man who parked his camper van there for the season (even had internet hook-up before it became widespread) - and it always seems quite lively in winter.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I was going to suggest this one as well but as I have not stayed there for a very long time I was not sure what they meant by affordable. We spent 2 weeks there with my in laws. They went walking every day and used the train to get around the Oberland to visit places while we skied. The position was OK and we left our skis in lockers but I forget where as it was so long ago.
We had a 2-bedroom chalet and it was cosy and warm despite below freezing temperatures as soon as the sun went down. Probably the only downside for a season would be the lack of space to actually get away from people at times if you are looking at a long-term let. I'm not sure if they would have chalets big enough for a family of 7 and there could also be the problem of schooling if you are resident for a while in the community. If you are home schooling (as I suspect you are given the nature of your current life style) it may be a good idea to have copies of any accreditation that you can show the authorities if asked.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Wow, thank you to everyone for such thoughtful replies.
We are thinking pretty seriously about the Jungfrau region -- and I think the ski passes there sound affordable. We've been in contact with a couple of equipment rental stores in the area, and it doesn't seem prohibitively expensive to rent gear for the season. The one big drawback is finding a house / apartment to rent. (We've been going back and forth with one homeowner in the area that rents her house, and in the end she offered to rent it to us for 3 months for US$33,000. Quite out of our ballpark.)
I have spoken with the tourist information office in Grindlewald (+41 33 854 12 12), but they had no suggestions for a more affordable seasonal rental.
I really appreciate the suggestion of http://www.camping-jungfrau.ch -- but it looks like for a family of 7 the nightly rate would be 201 Swiss Francs a night. Although I'm sure they could do something on volume, it's still out of our league.
We have a ski place in the United States that we rent out, and the interesting thing is that one home on the block rents for $300+ a night, while a similar, nearby home rents for $1500 / month. Some people prefer to have one set of tenants and not to have to get the house cleaned every week, and others price it like a hotel. So far, I haven't found anything in the Jungfrau area that isn't priced like a hotel.
In the States, you can find seasonal rentals on Craigslist -- does anyone know what website Swiss landlords use? (Craigslist - Bern doesn't list much.)
>If you are home schooling (as I suspect you are given the nature of your current life style)
Yes
>it may be a good idea to have copies of any accreditation that you can show the authorities if asked.
Thank you so much to everyone that replied!
Interesting suggestion, thanks!
-Chris
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
madbury@gmail.com, Set on Switzerland? Austria or Italy (probably France too?) are likely to be a lot cheaper - currency stuff. Buying kit would normally work out cheaper than renting for a season - buy the stuff currently on sale, before the new season's graphics come in.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
PS. Sounds like a sweet adventure!!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
madbury@gmail.com, you could try both Murren and Wengen tourist offices as well, they each try to look after their own little area, what you need to find is one of the buildings used by seaon workers I'd guess, but never having had to find such a thing I'm not quite sure how you'd go about it
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Hi Matt,
>Set on Switzerland? Austria or Italy (probably France too?) are likely to be a lot cheaper
We aren't necessarily set on Switzerland -- in fact I think we're getting less focused on Switzerland as we fail to find affordable housing. ;-(
We've also kicked around the idea of Spain (our kids speak some Spanish and 3 months in Spain could be a great refresher, plus we'll probably be biking in Spain to stay warm for part of November / December.) I just hesitate to head in a new direction -- there are too many options!
Want to suggest any favorite (affordable) ski areas in Austria, Italy, Spain or France?
>PS. Sounds like a sweet adventure!!
Thank you, we've had a great time so far!
If you want lots of nicely groomed slopes take a look at Saalbach and the SkiWelt in Austria. Accommodation will be cheaper in villages on the edges of the main ski area - probably Leogang for Saalbach, maybe Westendorf or Ellmau for the SkiWelt (Loads of seasonairres live in Saalbach itself, but usually in accommodation owned by their employers, still worth a look though). Both places are pretty affordable and good value.
My sole French ski experience was in the Portes du Soleil last season, which given your criteria would also be a great choice. Really don't know anything about where to find accommodation there, though have a mate who's done multiple seasons based in Morzine so probably a good start.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Veysonnaz in the 4 Valleys would be good, there are lots of affordable (for Switzerland) apartments for rental. From there you can ski to Nendaz, Siviez and Verbier, amongst others. Go onto the website www.veysonaz.com and have a look. You are also only 20 minutes from Sion, the capital of Valais.
As a cyclist who has done some touring I'm very jealous of your adventure!
For finding long term accommodation in the Alps you could try this website: www.chaletsdirect.com. There are forums for both short stay accommodation and long stays. Post your requirements and see what comes back. I've used the short stay forum successfully for winter skiing holidays. Its mainly French properties though. However, if you'd consider France, I would recommend that you look at the Serre Chevalier region in the southern Alpes. Its generally much more affordable than similar sized resorts and also has the advantage of having a proper, functioning town (Briancon) with a quick gondola at one end of the ski domain so access to decent supermarkets is not a problem.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
